Books and Manuscripts

Virginia, no date. 1 1/2 in x 6 1/4 in. (38 x 159 mm) (sight). Signature of Signer of the Declaration of Independence from Virginia, Richard Henry Lee (1732-1794), cut from a larger sheet. In mat and in frame, unexamined out of frame, 7 1/4 x 12 3/4 in. (184 x 323 mm).

Both Richard Henry (1732-1794) and his brother Francis (1734-1797) hailed from the prominent Lee family of Stratford Hall, one of the first families of the colony of Virginia. They were both staunch advocates of American Independence and respected statesmen, but Richard became more well-known for introducing the resolution to the Second Continental Congress on July 2, 1776, calling for the Thirteen Colonies to become "free and Independent states."